Golf is a game of distance and accuracy. There is a perfect golf swing for every golfer. Although numerous instructional and diagnostic golf mats and teaching aids are known, none has commercially replaced the traditional method of placing a club on the ground as a line of reference when hitting practice shots.
Accordingly, prior art golf mats as exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 6,482,102 to Grabowski (Golf Learning and Guide is Mat), U.S. Pat. No. 5,645,494 to Dionne et al (Instructional Golf Mat), U.S. Pat. No. 5,590,882 to Todd (Diagnostic Apparatus for Golfclub Swing Practice), U.S. Pat. No. 5,306,011 to Perry (Golf Swing Training Device), U.S. Pat. No. 5,163,686 to Bergman (Practice Mat for Golfers), U.S. Pat. No. 5,071,130 to Shofner (Device for Perfecting a Golfer's Swing), U.S. Pat. No. 4,915,387 to Baxtrom (Golf Practice and Training Device), U.S. Pat. No. 4,805,913 to Bott (Device for Development Golf Ball Address Stance), U.S. Pat. No. 4,000,905 to Shirhall (Practice Mat for Golfers), U.S. Pat. No. 3,350,101 to Bishop et al (Golf Swing Aid), U.S. Pat. No. 2,707,638 to Manley (Individualized Golfer's Chart), U.S. Pat. No. 1,484,390 to Gibbs et al (Instruction Chart for Playing Golf), and Des. Pat. No. 308,087 to Buffey (Golf Practice Mat), are limited by various drawbacks that hinder commercial acceptability.
For instance, the Dionne et al, Bott, Bishop and Buffey mats each include a foot placement grid that can be confusing to use. In particular, it may be difficult for a golfer to achieve precise, reproducible foot positioning and alignment. Of this prior art, Bott appreciates that a sound golf ball address stance is the single most important aspect that a golfer can control, and further that muscle memory can be developed. Moreover, Bott somewhat solves the problem with his foot placement grid by using removably attachable foot silhouettes. However, such a solution is not without drawbacks, and in addition, the Bott mat is limited by a single target line for sighting a target.
Furthermore, ball position in a golfer's stance is personal and will vary depending upon factors including club selection and objective. To provide for reproducible ball positioning, Bott relies upon a removably attachable ball silhouette. Again, such an approach is not without drawbacks.
There therefore continues to be a significant need for an improved instructional and diagnostic golf teaching aid, in particular so that a perfect golf swing becomes a matter of feel. In particular, precise and reproducible foot positioning and alignment are necessary, as well as a wide selection of precise, reproducible ball position options.